Lawton’s Arts and Humanities Division has appointed a new administrator and he is completely ready to strike the ground running.

Jason Poudrier formally began his new place as arts administrator on June 1, underneath the tutelage of the outgoing administrator Billie Whipp. Poudrier came to Lawton, like so several before him, as a primary trainee at Fort Sill. He joined the Military out of a motivation for journey and larger schooling. But navy provider runs in his relatives.

“My dad was Air Force, and my mother was Navy, they achieved in a bowling alley in England,” Poudrier claimed. “My mom acquired out soon after and she and I obtained to stick to my dad all over though I was developing up, all the way from the East Coastline to Alaska. When I was prepared to graduate significant university, I required to keep on traveling. Well, my household experienced Air Pressure and Navy protected, so I make a decision to go into the Military.”

Poudrier did excursions in Kuwait and Iraq. In 2003, he was wounded in an assault that took the lives of 3 of his fellow soldiers. Soon after his harm, Poudrier was medically retired from service. He returned to Lawton where by he enrolled at Cameron University.

“I basically ended up conference my spouse there, which is what retained me in Oklahoma. I have lived below lengthier than anyplace else in my life. And just this earlier calendar year my spouse and I created the determination to stay in this local community very long time period.”

Soon after acquiring his master’s diploma, Poudrier returned to Cameron as a professor where he had been teaching up until finally he recognized his position as the new arts administrator.

“With the classes I taught at Cameron, I would go around occupation chances with my learners. And 1 of the internet sites that I was referring pupils to was the Metropolis of Lawton’s web-site. I stumbled throughout the situation for Arts and Humanities Administrator, and I examine the description, and I was like, this is particularly what I want to do in our neighborhood,” Poudrier claimed.

Poudrier has a enthusiasm for connecting veterans and veteran communities to the arts. It’s section of the purpose he determined to stay in Lawton. He has been serving this neighborhood on his possess as a personal citizen and now, as the arts administrator, his profession and his passion have appear with each other.

“When you are in a position to align your enthusiasm with a placement that is heading to pay you to do what you want to do, yeah, it is a win-acquire. I felt I experienced to apply. And so, I did. I bought the interview and was hired on,” Poudrier mentioned.

Though his initially working day on the work was invested in meet up with-and-greets and learning periods, Poudrier explained he did choose absent just one incredibly crucial lesson.

“One of the things I really want to do with this place is market diversity and inclusivity,” Poudrier said. “And on that very first day I satisfied with the Arts and Humanities Council and observed just how multicultural it was and got to fulfill some amazing men and women from our community.”

Poudrier is bringing many issues to the table in this new role but mentioned the two most essential kinds in his thoughts are his passion for the arts and his huge community of connections. His 7 yrs as a professor at Cameron and his involvement with the army artwork scene on a countrywide degree have supplied him accessibility to dancers, musicians and performers that he hopes to carry to Lawton.

“I organized and directed the Military Working experience and Artwork Symposium at Cameron,” Poudrier explained. “That is something that I would like to make an once-a-year function. I also want to carry on Billie’s legacy and make confident that we’re honoring all of the festivals that our local community has occur to love and cherish. That, and obtaining approaches to increase even more gatherings. A great deal of that arrives from listening to the community.”

Poudrier recognizes that his appointment will come at an unparalleled time. The neighborhood is commencing to see some mild at the conclude of the tunnel following festivals and gatherings ended up canceled in 2020 thanks to the pandemic. He sees the arts as a kind of therapeutic and hopes that he can aid aid that therapeutic for the city.

“I seriously feel that the effects of the celebration of the arts and society is the connective tissue that provides a neighborhood collectively. And when you’re equipped to celebrate the variety of a local community, and you have a thing that is open up to persons of all socioeconomic statuses, it provides us collectively,” Poudrier stated. “A large amount of investigation exhibits, generally, that there is a therapeutic character to the arts on equally a personalized degree and a local community stage. And so, I see the festivals as a way for the local community to start out to heal from the results of COVID. And aid us in reconnecting with each other.”

By Harmony